Major League Baseball player arrested, hate crime investigation underway

Major League Baseball player arrested, hate crime investigation underway

By Brad Lendon

CNN

(CNN) — Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was arrested in Manhattan early Friday and charged with aggravated harassment after a dispute with another man, New York police said.

Young appeared intoxicated when police arrived at the scene outside the New York Hilton, and he was treated and released from a hospital Friday morning, police Detective Martin Speechley said. The other person involved in the dispute, a 26-year-old male, sustained minor injuries but refused treatment, Speechley said.

Young was in police custody Friday morning, the detective said.

The aggravated harassment charge is a misdemeanor, but Speechley said the case is being investigated as a possible hate crime because of “religious statements made” during the dispute. If there is evidence to support a hate crime, the seriousness of the charge would be “elevated,” he said.

The Tigers are in New York for a three-game series against the Yankees beginning Friday. Team officials were not immediately available for comment.

The team lost to the Seattle Mariners in Detroit on Thursday afternoon before flying to New York.